Talking MMA With Rapper N.O.R.E.

Thursday evening, I heard the familiar pling that accompanies an
incoming email on my phone. I picked up the device, glanced
absentmindedly at the latest press release from Bellator Fighting
Championships, and tossed it back down on my desk before doing an
entirely unintentional, slapstick comedy-style double-take.

The hip-hop fan in me was fascinated to see the Queensbridge rap
don’s name associated with mixed martial arts, however tenuously,
but this pairing required some explanation. Despite being fairly
familiar with his oeuvre, I’d never taken Mr. Noreaga for an MMA
fan. Boxing, sure -- “my dad, he was a boxer, God,” he explained on
the track “Sometimes” -- but MMA? Furthermore, I’d prejudged
Ben
Askren, with his trademark wild mop of frizzy hair, to be more
of a Phish guy.